In his opening statement, Fauci said Paul has an “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution.” Democrats called the hearing a politically motivated attempt at entrapping Fauci and praised the scientist for his work during the pandemic. With Fauci declining to answer questions throughout, Paul dominated the approximately three-hour hearing, listing a litany of accusations and detailed questions. In a heated moment during the hearing, Paul ejected Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, from the room after he tried to speak without being recognized. Paul released some of Fauci's diaryLeading up to the hearing, Paul released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary covering the pandemic years.